Under the mistletoe
by shmulia
Summary: Katara's heading home for the holidays, but not before saying goodbye to a certain flatmate…


The dorm was quiet as Zuko walked through the corridors. Nearly everyone had already left for Christmas break, leaving him alone with only the bright decorations for company. Not that he minded – he had decided almost as soon as he arrived at college that he wouldn't be going back home for the holidays. He would be happier here, spending the holiday with Iroh, than he would be with his father and sister back in his home town.

He was about to enter his bedroom, not taking in the decorations surrounding him, when the door next to him slammed open. Katara backed out of her room, dragging a suitcase which looked like it would burst open any second, a neatly wrapped present balancing on top. As she heaved the bag to a stop, it rammed into her foot, causing her to swear loudly.

"You okay there?" Zuko asked his flatmate, who looked like she may soon throw down with an inanimate object. He took in her appearance, her braid draped across her shoulder on top of a slightly-baggy blue jumper which brought out the colour of her eyes, glaring at a bag which had no idea of the pain it had caused her foot.

He thought she was beautiful.

"Yep, fine thanks," Katara grumbled as she shut and locked her door. "This bag hates me, but what can you do?" She turned to Zuko, her grimace turning into a wan smile. "How are you?"

Zuko leaned against his doorframe, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"I'm good. I thought you'd left for home already, though," he said, the words a question. They had said their goodbyes last night, anticipating that they wouldn't see each other before Katara left. She shrugged, her braid moving from across her shoulder to her back with the movement.

"Dad's running late, apparently the traffic is terrible. He and Sokka should be here any minute though." She rolled her eyes, an affectionate smile on her face – her father had a tendency to be late, even when the traffic was good.

"Anyway, I'm glad I got to see you before I left! I was going to just leave it outside your room, but if you're here, you may as well have it now," Katara said, grabbing the present on her bag. She shoved it in front of Zuko, who gawked at it, a feeling of guilt pooling in his stomach.

"I thought we said we weren't going to get each other anything," he protested. It had been a decision in the flat: they wouldn't get presents for each other so that there wouldn't be added pressure on top of revision stress.

"I know. But technically I didn't _get_ it for you, so I think it's ok. Just don't tell the others, alright?" Katara winked, grinning at him. Zuko blushed a little at her eager grin, taking the squashy package from her outstretched hands.

He was secretly thrilled that she had gotten him something; it didn't matter what it was, the fact that she had decided to go against the flat's decision to buy only him something made his heart beat faster. She watched with eager eyes as he tore the silver wrapping off, revealing a deep red material. He opened it up, watching as the material revealed itself to be a Christmas jumper, with small golden reindeer leaping across the red fabric.

Katara kept watching Zuko, who didn't speak for a moment. Interpreting his silence as dislike, a floodgate seemed to open up as words spilled from her mouth.

"I'm so sorry if you don't like it, it's just you said you'd never had a Christmas jumper before, and I wasn't going to get you anything but I saw this and just knew it would suit you, because red looks amazing on you, and I thought it would just be nice for you to-"

She was silenced with a hug as Zuko pulled her into his arms, resting his head on top of hers.

"I love it. Thank you, Katara," he murmured into her hair. She relaxed into his embrace for a second, before moving out of his arms. She was blushing, wearing a small smile of victory. He took the opportunity to put the jumper on over his shirt. It was baggy, but not overly so. He twirled for Katara, who giggled.

"So, how do I look?" he asked, striking a pose.

"You look..." Katara paused, trying to find the right word. "...pretty adorable, actually."

Zuko blushed at the sincerity in her voice. Their eyes met, and Zuko was surprised when she broke the stare, looking down and reddening, as if she'd given something away. He ran a hand through his hair, suddenly unsure of what to say.

"The... decorations are nice," he said, trying to regain a sense of normality. Katara looked around.

"Yeah," she said, "I think Aang did it. He went all out, that's for sure." Zuko nodded in agreement, taking in the tinsel and paper snowflakes their flatmate had made. He froze as he looked up, eyes catching something they hadn't before. Katara noticed Zuko's sudden look at the ceiling, and followed his gaze, also freezing when she realised what was above them.

"Is that... mistletoe?" She asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think so." His voice suddenly felt hoarse. The two looked at each other, unsure of how to continue.

"It's a silly tradition," Zuko said cautiously, not wanting to push any boundaries with his favourite flatmate.

"Totally," she replied, "really silly..."

They were leaning into each other before either of them realised what was going on, their eyes closing as Katara slid her hands around Zuko's neck, his heart racing, and then she was pressed against him, and nothing mattered except the softness of her lips and the sigh that escaped her as their mouths pressed together.

Katara's hands were placed delicately on Zuko's shoulders, not quite confident enough to move anywhere else, whilst Zuko's hands slid to her waist. A jolt went through him when his palms touched skin, having not noticed her jumper sliding up as she leaned up towards him.

They weren't there for long, but for a few seconds Zuko felt pure, unadulterated bliss. A jingle from Katara's pocket jolted them out of their embrace, Katara pulling away somewhat. She reached into her pocket for her phone, one hand pressed against Zuko's chest, his arms still wrapped around her.

"It's my dad," she said. "He's waiting outside." She turned her head to face Zuko again, and didn't expect to see the warmth in his gaze.

"Okay," he said, smiling at her.

"I should go," Katara continued, remaining in Zuko's arms, the blue of her jumper contrasting the red of his.

"Yeah," he replied, unmoving. Katara smiled, and placed a kiss on his cheek before pulling herself out of his arms. He let her go, albeit reluctantly. He felt her absence in his arms immediately, her warmth giving way to the chill of their flat.

"Do you need any help?" He asked, gesturing towards her suitcase. Katara shook her head, blushing.

"I'm alright, thank you."

Zuko nodded. "Okay. Well, then. Merry Christmas, Katara," he said, moving towards his room. A hand grabbed his arm, and he turned back towards her, expecting her to have changed her mind about the bag. He didn't expect her to kiss him again.

But she did.

It was quick, and over sooner than the first. Katara pulled away a little bit, and whispered, "Merry Christmas, Zuko," before turning and grabbing her bag, leaving Zuko thrilled and bewildered. His face split into a grin as he went into his room and threw himself onto his bed, looking at the ceiling.

Not a bad way to start Christmas, he thought to himself, wearing the jumper Katara had given him along with a goofy smile. Not a bad way at all.


End file.
